Sing Me A Lullaby
by kaitouahiru
Summary: They hadn't been separated at birth. And after making their lives so difficult, now she wouldn't have to tell him he was an uncle because of one night with the ice master.
1. Chapter 1

Two months. It had been two months since he had finally found his sister and rescued her from the Toguro brothers. He had wanted to kill everyone- everything- but her. She had wanted to hurt the brothers for killing her birds- no, she had wanted to do more than that... but she was the one who could overcome the madness and she would not let Hiei succumb to his demon nature. Yukina put her hand on her stomach as she touched her brother's forehead, wiping away sweat that was close to his Jagan.

Not everything had been bad about the Toguro brothers. The younger Toguro was surprisingly kind when he wasn't with his brother. His demeanor never changed much but... her hands brushed over the scars on her arms. It was better then some of the things they had done to get the jewels that her tears produced. And there was... her cheeks reddened and she shook her head, knowing Hiei was going to wake up soon.

Sometimes, she wondered if he hated her. Once, she even dared to ask him if he hated her. He looked at her like she had grown one million heads and said that she was the one person in the world who was safe from him, the one person whom he loved. He could never hate her, he said… but sometimes, she wondered how he couldn't hate her.

Yukina had made their life difficult. She didn't have it in her heart to kill or even eat meat. Hiei accepted it as a fact in life and became accustomed to gathering food that both of them could eat. On top of her eating habits, she was weak. Her only defense was a freezing cold and as a koorime, many tended to come after her. She knew they were wearing her brother down. Her healing magic could only work so often and they hardly had a chance to rest now. She relied on his strength to get them through everyday safe. Every time she had tried to take the easy way out, he had managed to stop her. She couldn't leave her brother alone in the world. Once he had caught her in the action of attempting suicide, he made her promise to stop.

And she still hadn't managed to tell him more news that would make their lives even more difficult.

"Yukina?" Hiei groaned, shifting slightly.

"Go back to sleep, Hiei," Yukina said.

"But… there's two- no, there's three," Hiei opened his eyes, his hand on his sword. He looked around and his Jagan flared open. She closed her eyes when his eyes settled on her stomach and his eyes widened when he understood what was going on.

Now she wouldn't have to tell him he was an uncle.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks borderline-mary, The Chevmentz, and SamBytes (do you really?) for reviewing!_

* * *

Six hours, thirty-nine minutes, twenty-eight seconds, and still counting. That's how long Hiei had been gone. Being without her brother, not knowing if he would come for her... it was almost like being back with Tarukane all over again. The only difference was, she wasn't a prisoner. Tarukane had captured her when Hiei had gone to find Youko Kurama. She didn't know why it was so important to find the fox demon but he had left and Tarukane had had perfect timing, capturing her while Hiei was away. They hadn't been on the isles. Maybe if she had been on the Koorime isles, she would have been safe. Hina had begged the elders not to throw her son off the Koorime isles and they had obliged but he would have to leave when he was old enough to fend for himself. Yukina had gone with him. There was nothing holding her there since Hina had died two years before Hiei was old enough to leave.

Eight hours, forty-three minutes, sixteen seconds, and still counting. Yukina closed her eyes and put her head against her knees. She had been foolish but she hadn't thought she was going to live for much longer with the Toguro brothers… Actually, she knew that she'd be kept alive for as long as possible but in that mansion, there was always a sense of foreboding.

Ten hours, seventeen minutes, fourteen seconds, and still counting. She was beginning to worry and she wanted to cry. Her brother wasn't taking the news well. She knew it. He would reject her children and she would lose her best friend and brother. The thought terrified her and she put her face in her eyes, her vision becoming blurred by tears-

"_Don't cry, Yukina,"_

"Don't cry," Yukina looked up, expecting to see the father of her children but instead of seeing them, she saw her brother. He looked uncomfortable, shifting slightly to accommodate the weight in the basket he carried.

"Hiei!" she cried, scrambling to her feet to hug him.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Hiei said, cautiously wrapping an arm around her. "I… I needed time to think."

"I thought you were going to leave," Yukina said.

"I'm not going to leave you alone, Yukina," Hiei said. "You need to eat." Yukina nodded, taking the basket from her brother to prepare a table for them.

"Hiei, I'm-"

"Who is the father?" Hiei asked. Yukina stopped taking out the food, looking at her brother.

"Huh?" Yukina blinked.

"The father?" Hiei repeated. "We're not one hundred."

"His name is Touya," Yukina said quietly. Hiei's eyes widened and it was one of the few times Yukina saw her brother looking surprised.

"The ice master?" he demanded. "Why was he with the Toguro brothers?" Yukina jumped slightly, surprised by her brother's harshness.

"He said that they were training… for the Dark Tournament,"


	3. Chapter 3

"_Brother… where are we going?" Yukina asked._

"_We're… taking a detour," Hiei has said finally. "To the human world."_

"_Why are we going there?" Yukina asked. "You… hate humans." Hiei shifted, as if he were uncomfortable. _

"_Touya will be at the Dark Tournament too," Hiei said. "And while I want you no where near that place-"_

"_Wait, what do you mean 'too'?" Yukina demanded._

"_I was invited also," Hiei said. "And you can't refuse an invitation. The people I trust to protect you are going to be at the tournament. I can't leave you with anyone else until I find your ice master."_

"_You… trust people?" Yukina said and then the thought sank in. "Who are they? What are they like? People as in more then one?"_

That was before. Now, she was situated behind and closer to Hiei and behind Kurama who was a few steps away from her brother. Hiei was glaring at Kuwabara but Yukina found it endearing to watch her brother interact with the strangers.

"This isn't starting well…" Kuwabara said. "Urameshi's late… and don't tell me your sister is our fifth, Hiei…"

"Of course not, fool," Hiei spat. "But never mind that. Are _you_ ready?"

"Me? You betcha! Kurama's helped me shape up!"

"All aboard everybody. Time to go," the captain said.

"Hold it! One 'guest' isn't here yet!" Kuwabara protested. Nervously, Yukina took a step closer to Hiei and Kurama took a step closer to her, shielding her from the other demon's eyes.

"Yeah? Rules say yer late yer a refuser. We'll send assassins to deal with 'im,"

"No need for that," a new voice said and everyone turned to look at the newcomer. "Sorry to hold up the party." Yukina's eyes landed on the human and she felt the power radiating from him. She looked at her brother and knew in that instant why he trusted her with these people. She took a breath and inhaled, realizing that, surrounding by these four fighters, she felt secure.


	4. Chapter 4

"Sorry to hold up the party,"

"Where you been, Urameshi?" Kuwabara demanded.

"Urameshi…?"

"The one who got Rando and Suzaku…"

"We take him down, we got it made!" Yukina shifted uneasily but she was relieved that the attention had been taken off of her, as demons were still trying to figure out what she was. Hiei had used his Jagan eye and Kurama had rubbed the scent of roses over her to hide that she was a koorime.

"Whoo, I'm stiff and sore all over!" the teenager dubbed Urameshi grinned, laid back. "Who's the chick, Hiei? Finally got yourself a girlfriend? I'm-"

"Yusuke…" Hiei said. Yusuke turned his attention towards Hiei and moved out of the way as his sword threatened to slice his skin.

"Brother!" Yukina protested but Kurama laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. He only wants to make sure Yusuke can protect you," Kurama smiled at her. She nodded reluctantly and Kurama removed his hand.

"They're moving so… so fast I almost can't follow," Kuwabara said.

"Phew!" Yusuke said, catching the sword. "Nice to see you too, Hiei!"

"I don't know how you did it but your skills are almost adequate," Hiei smirked.

"'Almost adequate'? I couldn't move like that in a million years!" Kuwabara said.

"Don't sweat it. You did follow their moves, which shows you've progressed," Kurama said.

"Hey, Yukina, can you move like that?" Kuwabara asked.

"Uh, no, I can't," she smiled.

"Do you think you would want to… um, you know…" Kuwabara said.

"She's Hiei's sister, Kuwabara," Kurama said, chuckling softly.

"Well, love is blind!" Kuwabara retorted.

"You can't date my sister. She's taken, anyways. I suppose short stuff here is our fifth member?" Hiei grunted.

"Huh?" Kuwabara asked, taking note of the short fighter.

"Someone shorter than Hiei? I can barely see him! If I sneezed, I'd blow him clear to Mars!" Kuwabara said.

"Let's just say for a fifth, we could do worse," Yusuke grinned.

"That so? I dunno…" Kuwabara said.

"It feels the count. Yusuke and I can take up any slack," Hiei smirked, retaking his position by Yukina's side. Yukina looked from her brother to Yusuke, noticing the complete trust her brother seemed to have in the human teenager. Timidly, she approached Yusuke while her brother was drawn into a conversation with Kurama and Kuwabara.

"Mr. Urameshi?" Yukina asked.

"Hey, just call me Yusuke. I mean after all, you're Hiei's sister, right?" Yusuke asked.

"Yukina," she nodded. "Will you please look out for my brother?" Yusuke looked surprised for a moment and after looking at Hiei, he looked at her with a nod.

"I don't think he needs it but yeah, I'll look out for him,"


	5. Chapter 5

"Up anchor! Two hours to Hangman Island," the captain said.

"Mph, pretty drab old tub," one of the demons said.

"No refreshments, no deck chairs…"

"You're attention please! This is no pleasure cruise!" the captain grunted. "We'll conduct tournament preliminaries… on this ship… starting now!"

"That circular deck rose up!"

"Must be an arena!"

"Sixteen teams will compete in the Dark Tournament! Fifteen are waiting on Hangman Island! One team from this ship will fill the sixteenth slot," the captain said.

"No one told us about this!" Kuwabara hissed.

"Each team will pick its strongest member…and these will vie for participation in the tournament!" the captain said.

"A little warm up match? Suits me just fine," a demon chuckled. "After all we're gonna win."

"Stay behind me or Kurama," Hiei ordered. "Or the detective. Don't go anywhere without one of us."

"A battle royale?" Kuwabara said. "In those it ain't always the strongest who come out on top! Hey, Urameshi, here's your chance to show off your new stuff!"

"Urameshi?"

"What was that you were saying?" Yukina asked her brother with a small amused smile. "Stay behind you, Kurama... or Yusuke?"

"Fifteen minutes with the fox and you're already acting like him…" Hiei grumbled.

"How can you sleep?" Kuwabara demanded, grabbing the front of Kuwabara's shirt. "Yer team captain! C'mon, wake up!"

"This can happen after extreme training," Kurama said. "He's fallen into a deep sleep to restore strength and aura."

"Say what? Then whose going up there?" The masked fighter didn't answer but instead walked towards the arena.

"Guess that's settled," Hiei said. "He's going up. At least we'll get to see what he can do."

"Will he be alright?" Yukina asked.

"What if he loses? I don't think losing teams just go home!" Kuwabara said.

"Probably right. We might have to kill everyone onboard…" Hiei smirked. "So there will be no one left to complain…"

"Terrific…" Kuwabara said doubtfully.

"Hiei…" Yukina admonished gently. His smirk softened but it was still present, letting his sister know that he was just having fun… for the most part. She believed he was more then willing to do anything to keep her and his future nieces and or nephews safe… and while the thought made her feel safe, it also made her feel unsettled. She had seen enough violence during her time with the Toguro brothers.

"Calm down," Hei said. "Your aura is leaking out. I'm here." She took a deep breath and calmed herself, pushing the ice maiden powers in her down, letting the spark of fire that was normally buried deeper in her rise.

"Begin!"

"Heh heh heh… the puny one's first! Kill 'em in turn!"

"Starting with you! Pile on the shrimp!"

"I knew it! They're ganging up on him!" Kuwabara said. "No room to run! He'll be mashed flat!"

"No!" Yukina cried, taking a step forward but Hiei put a restraining hand on her arm, his other hand on his sheath. A bright light began forming at the masked fighter's fist and Team Urameshi was shocked into silence as he put Yusuke's reigun into use.

"Oh my…" Yukina said with her eyes wide.


	6. Chapter 6

"Point, game, and match to Team Urameshi!" the captain announced. "They will take the sixteenth slot in the tournament!"

"That little guy used… Yusuke's reigun… but how?" Kuwabara said.

"I think Yusuke knew this would happen," Kurama smiled fox like, being the first to recover his composure.

"He deep-sixed every one of them! Using Urameshi's shotgun! Who is that guy?" Kuwabara said and as the masked fighter came down, he ran to him. "That was ace! Welcome to the team! Just one thing- who are you?" Instead of answering, the masked fighter pointed over Kuwabara's head.

"Huh? What's… ACK!"

"Screw the rules! Kill them, we'll be famous!"

"Looks like we're up… Aw well, better then just sitting around…" Hiei said.

"I'd say so…" Kurama said, taking out a rose. "Yukina, have you ever seen your brother in combat?" Her eyes froze over, suddenly distancing herself from her twin and his friend.

"_Don't kill him!" she had screamed. "Don't! Hiei, please, don't!" Hiei stopped and let Tarukane fall to the floor._

"_He's not worth your tears…" Hiei said in a hushed tone. Tears began to form into Yukina's eyes and she threw herself into her brother's arms._

"You might want to close your eyes, Yukina…" Kurama said. "We'll protect you."

"Four seconds," Hiei promised.

"Eleven for me," Kurama chimed in. Yukina closed her eyes. One. Two Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

"Petal whirwind!"

Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Yukina opened her eyes and looked around.

"Yusuke!" she shouted.

"Heh! Dead to the world!" a demon laughed.

"And dead to the world in a second!" another demon smirked.

"Aww, cripes, Urameshi! He's so out that Akiko Matsumoto couldn't stir him if she sang right in his ear!"

"That's the least of your problems!" a demon from the group getting ready to attack Kuwabara hissed.

"It's overkill but…" Kuwabara said and aura began to gather at his hands.

"_I have a sister about your age."_

"_Tarukane's out of the country! Security's light! Today's the day!"_

"_What about you?" Yukina asked the only man who had been decent to her in Tarukane's prison thus far. "When they discover I'm gone…"_

"_Don't worry about that, okay?"_

"_Thought so," Tarukane grunted. "Take care of him." _

"Stop!" Yukina cried.

"Yukina-!" Hiei said. Power began collecting around Yukina, power Hiei and Kurama both knew an ice maiden couldn't possess. Ice began to erupt from her and Hiei flitted in between Yusuke and Kuwabara, using his apparition fire to protect them from freezing over as neither knew what was coming, trusting Kurama and the mysterious masked fire to know what to do to protect their selves.

"What's going on Hiei? Why can she use ice?" Kuwabara demanded, two spirit swords in his hands, swinging them wildly.

"She's an ice maiden," Hiei said. His eyes connected with Kurama's and in that moment, as some of the demons managed to stay out of the range of Yukina's ice, Hiei knew that Kurama knew about Yukina… and what was growing inside of her.


	7. Chapter 7

"What were you thinking?" Kurama demanded. "Bringing your _pregnant sister_ to the _Dark Tournament_, of all places? Why not just bring her to the Maze Castle of the Saint Beasts?"

"Where else would I have brought her?" Hiei demanded. "In case you've forgotten, Spirit World isn't impenetrable as they think! _We _proved that!"

"Anywhere but here- say the human world, for instance- with my mother!"

"The human world- where any demon would be able to sense her presence the minute they stepped into human world and then kidnap both of them?" Hiei demanded. "With no protection!"

"Genkai is hardly 'no protection'-"

"Why should I trust some old crone I never met with my _sister_?"  
"Well you trust Yusuke, don't you?"

"Trust _him_?" Hiei sneered. "He's-"

"He asked you to save our lives and you did, Hiei," Kurama said, his eyes freezing over. "At the Gate of Betrayal and when those demon imposters posed as him after Maze Castle- or have you forgotten?"

"She's my sister. Not yours," Hiei hissed. "You have no say in this."

"She's pregnant,"

"She's safe,"

"Something could happen to you- to all of us. What if we lose? Who will protect her then?" Kurama demanded.

"That won't happen because we won't lose!" Hiei said. "You saw Yusuke's power on the boat-"

"_Die, Urameshi!"_

"_No, I'm too late!" Kuwabara said. _

"_No way, y'old biddy!" Yusuke shouted. "I'll keep goin' and goin' and goin'!"_

"_Whew!" Kurama said, catching Yukina when the power faded from her. "Even in his sleep he trains! The regiment has become instinctive!" _

"_Old biddy? So that's who he was training with…that shrimp boat of a sensei… Master Genaki?" Kuwabara said. 'Can't be here… why'd she risk her neck? If not her then who…?'_

"-Yusuke has gotten that much stronger in such a short amount of time!" Hiei snarled. "He will protect Yukina if I fall! I would not have brought my sister here if for a minute I thought even _one_ of you couldn't protect her! Yusuke's power increases when he has someone to protect. If you won't protect her, I'll hand her safety over to the detective." The threat was evident and Kurama considered his options before speaking.

"'Fact is, I teamed up with him because that's a lot smarter than going up against him,'" Kurama said finally with a sigh. "You said something to that degree before. You stood by it then and I need to know: do you still stand by it?"

"Yes," Hiei said, his eyes narrowing.

"Hiei, I would rather be your friend then your enemy," Kurama said. "I will protect your Yukina and her children with my life." They settled into a comfortable silence before Kurama picked up a cup from the tray the waiter had brought in earlier. He took a sip from it and then considered something.

"You know, I don't think I've ever heard you say so much," Kurama said.

"Shut up!"

* * *

"Do you think we can go back in yet?" Kuwabara asked Yukina.

"Maybe we should give them a little longer…" Yukina giggled, both listening at the door.

"So… you are, I mean… you know… uh…"

"Pregnant?" Yukina supplied. "Yes, Kazuma. I am."

"Oh… well, I'm sorry about before, you know. I didn't know you were taken,"

"'Taken'?" Yukina asked.

"You know, married?"

"What's 'married'?"

"You mean you're not married?" Kuwabara asked. "But- but you- I mean-"

"Shut up, Kuwabara," Hiei snapped, throwing the door open to the hotel room. "And speak a little louder- I don't think the people in your_ hometown_ heard you."

"Why you-!"

"Why don't you all come in?" Kurama asked. "And Kuwabara, demons don't get married. They mate, sort of like wolves."

"Oh, well I guess that makes sense… then are you mated, Yukina?" Kuwabara asked.

"Obviously, you dolt," Hiei snapped. "She's pregnant."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kuwabara asked. Yukina looked flustered and even Hiei was sporting a light shade of pink on his cheeks. Kurama tried to hide his smile behind his hand and also with a cough.

"Well you see, Kuwabara…" Kurama said. "The mating ritual is uh… sex."


	8. Chapter 8

"That was entertaining," Yukina giggled. "Kazuma is very nice."

"He's something," Hiei said, letting her know that he didn't dislike him but didn't like him either. "Yukina, we need to talk…"

"I know," she said. "I noticed too."

"About the-"

"Brother, I know you lost your necklace!"

"My…" Hiei said, stunned as his sister stood from the bed.

"The one with mother's hiraseki stone,"

"Actually, I didn't," Hiei said. "Well I did but-"

"It's alright. You can hold onto mine until you find yours again," Yukina said, attempting to drape it around his neck.

"I found it," Hiei said, dodging her attempts. "Yusuke has it…"

"Yusuke? Why not Kurama?" Yukina asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I don't want to talk about it," Hiei grunted. "And besides, that's not what we need to talk about. That power on the boat wasn't yours."

"I know…" Yukina said, putting her hands on her stomach. "It was theirs…" Hiei settled on the bed next to her.

"The kids probably are a boy and a girl," Hiei said. "Like us…"

"What do you think?" Yukina asked. "Not about your niece and nephew but about me and Touya…"

"I don't know him," Hiei said, his voice harsher then he meant and he stood up, walking out, signaling the end of the conversation. Yukina sighed and fell backwards onto the bed. At least he didn't just run away this time.

* * *

"This stuff ain't poisoned, is it?" Kuwabara asked doubtfully, looking at the cups.

"Well considering Kurama isn't dead…" Hiei said.

"The tournament's all about maximum combat," Kurama said. "So they want every contender at their peak potential."

"The hosts are especially interested in seeing us in action before we are torn limb from limb," Hiei said.

"Well it never hurts to be careful," Kuwabara said. "I'm sticking to my own beverages, thanks."

"Odd…" Kurama said. "There one cup missing."

"There's six of us and six cups…" Kuwabara said. "I haven't taken one so…"

"That's what's odd," Kurama said. "Yusuke is still asleep and Yukina hasn't come out of her room… but a cup is gone!"

"Yukina!" Hiei raised his voice.

"Hiei?" she answered, opening the door. Hiei dropped his cup and rushed in front of his sister.

"Hey! Who's that? How'd he get in here?" Yukina jumped slightly and they all laid eyes on the demon child.

"He must've been hiding someplace!" Kuwabara accused.

"And then came out and took the cup without any of us noticing…" Kurama said.

"Nah, I just came in through the door like you did! Forgot to knock though," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself- I'm Rinku, Team Special Ops. My team, the Jolly Devil Six, will be your opponents in the first round tomorrow."


	9. Chapter 9

"'Jolly Devil Six'?" Kuwabara repeated. "Isn't it only five to a team?

"You didn't know you could bring a backup incase one of you dies in battle? The six of us are as tough as nails so we chose our alternate using rock paper scissors. So I'm guessing the lady in back isn't your alternative. What is she? Your girlfriend or something?" Rinku grinned, looking at Hiei but he wasn't dissuaded from talking. "Must be nice being the guest team. You don't have to sit through the opening ceremony or rule meetings. 'Course you don't need to negotiate for prizes or anything because you'll be taken out way early."

"You're being very rude," Yukina spoke up, surprising everyone.

"Yukina…" Hiei said in a warning tone.

"Was I?" Rinku said. "Well you know what they say, the truth hurts, lady. Why are you here anyways? And I'm just stating facts. The captain of the previous winning team nominated you guys as guests… but from what I see, I could take y'all myself in an elimination match."

"That will do Rinku,"

"Another lurker!" Kuwabara said. "He wasn't there before! I'm sure of it!"

'Slipped by me too,' Hiei thought.

"Sorry Zeru, got carried away! This tournament stuff is just so exciting!" Rinku said, bounding over to the other intruder.

"Enjoy your evening, guys," Zeru said, locking eyes with Yukina. "Buy tomorrow, they'll be like those cups."

"When did that happen?" Kuwabara demanded. Yukina waited until her brother and Kuwabara were distracted by the cups and rushed after the two.

"Wait," she said. Rinku turned to her with a grin and Zeru turned to her slowly.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Why did you come?" she asked. "You didn't want to attack…" Zeru's eyes narrowed.

"Rinku,"

"But Zeru-"

"Do it,"

"Awww…. I'm really sorry miss but orders are orders," the grin was still present on his face and he brought out a yoyo.

"Don't," Yukina said, taking a step backwards.

"You really should learn not to come out without protection," Zeru said and Rinku took that as his cue to fire the demonic yoyos at her. She screamed.

"Yukina!" Kuwabara said, getting up but Hiei was already in action but he was met with Kurama's back as the fox demon deterred the yoyos with a rose but in the end, it wasn't the rose or even Hiei's body now in front of Yukina that stopped the yoyos from hitting Yukina. It was the ice wall that was constructed in front of the twins.

"You've just signed your death warrant," Hiei hissed at Zeru and Rinku, his hand on his sword.

"Save your energy for the tournament," Zeru said. "I want you at top form, three eyes."

"Hiei," Kurama said. "Yukina's…" Hiei's hands formed into tight fists, his knuckles turning white. He looked at his sister and took a deep breath, taking in her scared eyes. In a flash, he and his sister disappeared and the ice began to slowly melt.

"Gentlemen, you'd best be on your way," Kurama said. "You have no idea what you've just unleashed."

"From that mouse?" Zeru smirked. "I doubt he could someone enough aura to kill the _weakest _of the Jolly Devil Six." Kurama smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Rinku happens to be smaller then Hiei," Kurama said. "What does that say about him? And if you decide to stick around… I won't hesitate to finish what Hiei was going to start."

"Fine, we're going. Come on, Rinku," Zeru said.

Kuwabara felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Man Kurama… the temperature just dropped in here!" Kuwabara said. "Were you serious?"

"Of course I was serious," Kurama said. "If Hiei doesn't manage to kill him… I will hunt him down."

"But… why?" Kuwabara asked, making Kurama pause at the door way. "I mean, I get you're friends and everything but isn't killing for him overkill? And why not Rinku?"

"Zeru is the reason Rinku attacked," Kurama said. "And I gave Hiei my promise that anyone threatening Yukina would not live for very long."

* * *

"Hey boyo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Jin,"

"Aw c'mon now, don't be like that, boyo," Jin said. "C'mon, Touya, what was with that flash of power?"

"I found her," Touya smirked. "And this time, I'm not letting her go."


	10. Author's Note

Author's Note

I usually don't like putting authors notes up but this time I'm afraid I have to. My computer broke down and its very possible I won't be able to recover some of the next chapters in my stories so I have to redo those chapters. I'm using a library computer now so I will try to recover the chapters and if I can't do that I will rewrite them. Sorry about the wait. Please continue reading and reviewing my stories and the future chapters I put up!

kaitouahiru


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Sorry I haven't update in so long! I hope you guys decide to stick with this and read it! Thanks for being patient! Please review!

* * *

"Why would you run after them?" Hiei demanded. "Why, Yukina? Are you trying to get everyone at this tournament killed? If you were killed here, I wouldn't stop until everyone was dead!"

"I'm sorry, Hiei… but I had to make sure," Yukina said. "Please don't be mad…"

"Yukina, I'm furious," Hiei hissed.

"Okay," she said. "I deserve that…" Hiei forced himself to take a breath and calm down when he realized it was taking a lot for his sister not to cry.

"What were you making sure of?" Hiei asked.

"That time on the boat- I felt Touya's power," Yukina said. "It wasn't just my children's power- and you know apparition powers wouldn't manifest like that right away."

"So to find out whether the ice master was protecting you… you put your life in danger willingly?" Hiei grounded out. "What if you were wrong, Yukina?"

"Then you would have saved me," Yukina said with absolute certainty. Hiei sighed.

"And if I didn't get there in time?"

"Kurama was there,"

"Yukina…"

"Hiei, I was safe the whole time," Yukina said. "You're my brother. We're all we've had for the longest time and now I have a mate. I'm going to have a daughter and son and you'll have a niece and nephew… and a brother n' law once you get to know him," Hiei sighed.

"Well, there's one good thing about the ice master being your mate,"

"What's that?"

"My niece and nephew won't be weak," Yukina giggled.

"You would worry about that," she said. Hiei allowed a small smile to meet his sister's smile.

"Sleep now, Yukina… are you sure you want to watch the tournament?" Hiei asked.

"Of course," Yukina said.

"Hey, I've been thinking…" Kuwabara said.

"Yes, Kuwabara?" Kurama asked.

"You're fifteen, right?"

"You're about some three hundred or so years off," Kurama smiled.

"Well… do you have a mate?"

"No, Kuwabara, I don't,"

"Does that mean you've never…"

"Demons don't need to mate in order to have sex, Kuwabara,"

"Oh… so you have?"

"Goodnight, Kuwabara," there was a silence.

"So you haven't?"

"Kuwabara…"

"Oh, come on, Kurama!"

"Not me specifically," Kurama said. "Now just go to bed!"

"But what does that mean?"

"Just go to bed!"

* * *

"Morning, everyone! Are you ready for some unholy mayhem? Let's welcome our first teams of contesters! I declare the Dark Tournament officially underway!" the announcer shouted.

"Wow, check out that crowd!" Rinku grinned.

"It's the Jolly Devil Six, stars of the slums!"

"What do you think, Mr. Sakyo? They're just dregs of the red light district…but they have potential in the making, I believe," Sukezo Gondawara, the sponsor of the Jolly Devil Six asked. 'Their the real challenge to your team, Toguro. Team Urameshi will be dispatched in short.' Sakyo didn't reply to the man, instead looking as Urameshi's team arrived on the arena.

"The guests have arrived!"


	12. Chapter 12

Kuwabara had technically lost to Rinku because he hadn't been able to get back in the ring before the countdown. Kurama had won easily against Roto but Yukina hadn't been pleased about that match at all. She wasn't pleased about any of the fighting- even if some small part of her demon side appreciated it just a little bit- but something about Roto and Kurama's match set her wrong.

"Roto had something on Kurama…" Yukina whispered to herself.

"Did you say something, Yukina?" Botan asked her and then all the eyes of the girls, Koenma, and the ogre, were on her.

"No!" Yukina smiled. "You must have been hearing things."

"Kurama's come up with a win for the Urameshi team! Now they're tied!" the announcer shouted.

"As expected, the familiars took off once their master expired," Hiei said.

"So you noticed…" Kurama said.

"That idiot had _no idea_ who he was dealing with," Hiei smirked.

"Next contestants!" the announcer shouted.

"Zeru's up! He'll trash the guy!"

"Team Urameshi, you're next contender please!"

"I thought he was team captain," Kurama said.

"Meaning those other two are tougher'n him?" Kuwabara asked.

"No, he's definitely the powerhouse of that crew. Like most teams, they probably drew lots for fight order," Hiei said, taking off his scarf, "I'll take him. I want to get back at him for what he did to Yukina yesterday."

"I see you use flames. I checked out that cup. It looked like it had been sliced up by a blade but the edges were melted. You lack refinement," Hiei smirked.

"What's it matter? I don't take criticism from a belly crawlin' evil-eyed rodent," Zeru spat, beginning to release his aura. "You're cinders, man." Hiei raised an eyebrow.

"Whoo boy! That's a killer aura!" Kuwabara said.

"Impressed? You should be! A mouse like you could never in his whole life summon this much aura!" Zeru laughed.

"Enough talk," Hiei said. "Move." Zeru moved to attack Hiei, his hand going directly into Hiei's chest, lighting the demon's whole body on fire. Hiei was sent backwards. Kurama's jaw dropped but then he frowned. Hiei was up to something. There was no way he was going down that fast.

"Hiei!" Yukina shouted, actually rising out of her seat.

'I'm fine,' Hiei reassured her through their telepathic connection. She relaxed.

"That was quick!" Kuwabara shouted.

"Heh… hardly worth getting out of bed for that," Zeru smirked.

"You're not bad. Pity I have to kill you however," Hiei smirked.

"That's not possible!" Zeru said. "Y-you withstood my demonic fire?"

"Heh- now you know otherwise. Rejoice! To you goes the honor of being the first in the human world to fall to the Blazing Fist of the Overload!" Hiei said.

"Blazing fist of the overload! That's a martial arts meant only for the demon realm!" Kurama said.

"I admit, I haven't completely tamed it but I will in a very short order!" Hiei laughed.

"B-black flames? Summoned from the demon plane? How is that possible?" Zeru demanded, staring in horror at Hiei.

"My right arm should be enough for this. I'm afraid my control is meager… See? This is real pyromancy- true evil that your match play lacks! You scoffed at my evil eye and you tried to kill my sister- and that's something you'll regret!" Hiei snarled. "No one tries to hurt her and then lives!"

"Wait- you can't!" Zeru said.

"Here it comes!" Hiei announced. "Black dragon hell fire!"

"It was over in a flash," Kurama commented.

"Oh my… the wall," the announcer said, looking at where Zeru was burned to a crisp.

"I incinerated his human world aspect," Hiei said "Start the count."

"Oh… I- I think we'll just skip that," the announcer said. "The- the winner is Hiei!"

"So that's her brother…" Touya muttered.

"That's whose brother, boyo?" Jin asked.

"Yukina's," Touya answered.

"How can you tell?" Jin asked.

"The eyes," Touya answered.

"You gonna go find her?" Jin asked and then he was fixed with an icy glare. "Sorry, boyo, just wondering. You'd think you'd want to see your mate after-"

"Jin,"

"Right, got it,"

"See that, ya punks? Even gypped in the first round, we're up two to one!" Kuwabara said. "Not that that's a heckuva lot of comfort… what Hiei did, what he can do… If he decided to turn on us now…"

"Calm down. Once I pick a side I stick with it. Besides, my technique needs work anyways," Hiei said.

"Zeru zapped…" Zeru's teammate said.

"J-just like that…" the other one said.

"That's enough for us! We want out!"

"We came to kill for fun and fun this ain't!" But they never got the chance to because they themselves were killed, heads chopped clean off.

"Fun's best when it's spiked with danger," the newcomer hiccupped. "These yeller swine-dogs spoiled m' buzz."

"Chu!" Rinku cried happily.

"Hey girly, we got two deaths b' 'accident.' What the rules say 'bout that?" Chu asked.

"Each team gets one alternative, that's it- no matter the circumstances. Y-you'll have to go on with whoever you have left. No forfeits allowed!" the announcer said.

Hmm, that's fine. Me against their last two? Interesting," Chu said.

"This guy creeps me out bad," Kuwabara said. "His aura's not much but there's something…!"

"Whoo, who's been boozin'?" Yusuke asked, turning everyone's attention towards him. "That stench would rise the dead and kill them all over again!"

'Yusuke's sensed the odd aura…' Kurama thought.


	13. Chapter 13

"That was a bloody battle," Touya commented as soon as Chu hit the floor.

"I reckon Urameshi will give us a run for our money," Jin grinned. Touya raised an eyebrow before nodding and smiling.

"Your ears are pointed, Jin," Touya said.

"Eh? Oh, you're right boyo!" Jin grinned. "Haven't been this pointy for a long time!"

"Calm down, Jin… with the way this tournament is set up… they might not even survive the next round," Touya said, turning around and walking away. He wanted to drown out the sounds of the crowd yelling profanities at the Jolly Devil Six. Weaklings- they weren't even worth anyone who competed in the Dark Tournament's time. All they could do was rant and yell-

"SHUT UP, YOU BUTT WIPES!"

Touya pretended he hadn't just tripped over nothing as he turned back to see what Team Urameshi's leader was up to. Jin was floating in the air, ears pointier than Touya had seen in a long time. He walked back over to Jin.

"You want a piece of anybody down here? C'mon then! I'll knock your heads in, one by one!" Yusuke shouted.

"_We'll_ knock, he means," Kuwabara corrected.

Jin's eyes trained on Yusuke before he burst out laughing.

"You hear that, boyo? I like this one! An' your mates brother is down there too!" Jin said. Touya smiled.

"He'd better be careful. If he's raised our interest, there's no telling who else's interest in him has been piqued," Touya said. "Come on, Jin." Jin grinned and followed Touya back to their team room, giving one last glance at Team Urameshi before kicking up a breeze that let him fly next to Touya.

* * *

"And _that_, Karasu, is team Urameshi. We'll be facing him before long," Toguro said.

"Think so? Seems to me he's made a fatal mistake," Karasu smiled under his mask. "He's used up his reigun."

* * *

Kurama frowned as he watched the match commence below him. Team Ichigaki was using humans.

"Why would another team use humans?" Kurama muttered under his breath. "Guess they're not here of their own free will…"

"But then again, how many of us are?" Kurama turned around, instantly on guard. "You can relax. I didn't come here to fight,"

"You're Touya, the ice master,"

"And you're Kurama, the thief," Touya said, not knowing just how true his words were.

"Can I assume that the other shinobi are here too?" Kurama frowned.

"If you'd like," Touya shrugged, moving to stand next to Kurama as he watched the fight.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe you've come here just to watch the fight," Kurama said. Touya watched the fight for a few moments longer in silence.

"You're going to have to fight me, Kurama," Touya said.

"Excuse me?" Kurama said.

"Our teams will fight if you can defeat Team Ichigaki," Touya said. "And if they do, you and I will most likely fight."

"How do you know this?" Kurama said and then something occurred to him. "The fight's going to be rigged, isn't it?" Touya avoided Kurama's eyes.

"Don't tell your team. You're going to need your all to fight that team down there," Touya said. "If you tell them, they will most likely get into a premature rage and get themselves disqualified. From this moment on, your team is not fighting a fair fight."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kurama asked.

"Because there is no honor in this kind of fighting. Conserve your energy, Kurama. You'll need it to defeat us," Touya said, walking away from him. He then paused. "Don't tell your teammates about our talk."

* * *

"Your reigun's kaput?" Kuwabara demanded.

"Seems so…" Yusuke frowned, staring at his index finger.

"You're just beat from yesterday is all!" Kuwabara said. "My whole body hurts- though not as bad as before."

"No, after firing four shots in one day during training, I was ragged out, sure, and my reigun didn't have much oomph… but now I can't seem to be able to summon any aura at all," Yusuke said.

"Not good," Kuwabara said darkly.

"Because that split decision sucked you dry," the masked fighter said. Yusuke and Kuwabara turned around. "Rapid fire is not for beginners. It's an advanced technique, far beyond anyone with six months' training."

"Who is she? She's way too young to be Master Genkai!" Kuwabara hissed to Yusuke.

"I thought she was the old crone too, but now…!" Yusuke hissed back.

"Don't use your reigun until you're fully recovered. Or you'll ruin your arm, like someone else we know,"

* * *

She knew her brother was distressed. Even though she knew she shouldn't be walking around by herself, she was anyways. She looked down over the ledge and found her brother on a rock dangerously close to the ocean.

"Brother…" Yukina called softly. Hiei looked up, ashamed of being caught in a weak moment. Moving his arm sent pain coursing through his nervous system. He glared hatefully at his charred arm, cursing himself for being so weak. Yukina sighed and glanced at the waves crashing against the rock her brother was sitting on.

"Come up here," she said. Hiei stared back defiantly at her. "Come here, or I'm coming down there." Like she expected, Hiei was by her side before she could blink.

"Let me see your arm," she said, reaching for it. "You're hurt… you should have come to me." Hiei jerked his arm away from her.

"I'm fine,"

"Stop lying to me!" Yukina snapped. "I haven't seen you in this much pain before! Not since…" _Tarukane_. Her words went unspoken but he knew what she was going to say. He put the hand that wasn't burnt on her stomach. Instantly, he felt a surge of warm power rush to meet his hand. Dropping to his knees, he leaned his head against Yukina's stomach.

"Never again… will you have to suffer like that," Hiei said. "You won't be able to heal this- this burn goes beyond even your healing capabilities. Come on, I'll take you back to the hotel."


	14. Chapter 14

"Where've you been, Touya,"

"I was enjoying the light, Risho," Touya said. "Is that a problem?" Although Jin was giving the appearance of sleeping, his ears twitched slightly- not in the way that meant he was excited, but in the way that meant he was aware of what was going on. Touya was sure Risho didn't notice. Risho glared at Touya, and the ice master was well aware that Risho probably liked him least. Jin should have taken up that slot but Risho was too wary of Jin's powers to try anything- not that Touya couldn't hold his own against Risho.

"You haven't tanned," Risho sneered. Touya raised an eyebrow, eyes glazing over.

"My complexion is suddenly important? Come, Jin. Let's go watch the fight," Touya said, donning his cloak that would hide his identity.

* * *

"_Master! Master Mitamura!" _

"_Please don't die!"_

"_It isn't a choice I can make. My health is failing… and that is that. But I've no regrets… you wonderful children are here to ease my passing," Master Mitamura said._

"_Surgery could save him but we don't have the money…" a man said._

"_We owe him so much- he took us in, raised us, taught us disciplines of body and soul- there must be something we can do!" another man said._

"_Such heartfelt regard… but I am not important, you are all ready…" Master Mitamura said._

"_No, you need to get better!" a younger man cried. "You must get better! Whatever it takes!" Another… man- no demon- entered the room and everyone's attention turned to him._

"_My name is Ichigaki. I will heal your master- at no cost. There is just _one_ condition," Ichigaki said._

"_What's that?"_

"_Who cares? We'll do anything!"_

"_Hmmm… would you three be willing to take part in a little experiment of mine? It's nothing complicated, I assure you, gyuk gyuk," Ichigaki smiled._

* * *

"And that was that," Kuwabara said, relating the story of his dream to Yusuke.

"Ichigaki, huh? Name sounds familiar," Yusuke said.

"So Kurama and Hiei haven't come back yet?" Kuwabara asked.

"Nope," Yusuke said.

"Hmph! Thought hell would reopen as an ice rink before those two ran away," Kuwabara sneered.

"Don't sweat it," Yusuke smiled. "They'll show up. All set? Let's go fight!"

* * *

"Hiei, are you alright?" Kurama asked. Hiei looked up towards the branch, glaring at the redhead.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your arm? You know that things will get tough soon…" Kurama said. "Did you have Yukina take a look at it?"

"Even she can't heal this. And I don't have a choice," Hiei spat. "For us chosen to participate… we must kill everyone." He turned to face the demons approaching as Kurama jumped down gracefully from his branch.

* * *

Yukina frowned, listening to the crowd's anger. She herself was concerned. The teams were missing people- and one of those missing from Team Urameshi was her brother. She tried to push the bloodlust that was suffocating her in the stadium, trying to find her brother but he wasn't grasping the telepathic connection.

"That's crazy!" Kuwabara said. "These are the guys I saw in my dream!"

"It's time to begin!" Koto announced.

"Fate has chosen well," Ichigaki said, approaching Yusuke. "As the fights go on, the number diminishes. Three against three, that's fair?"

"You're not going to fight?" Yusuke frowned.

"Me? I'm here to guide them. You're going to fight against my guinea pigs," Ichigaki said. "I love to do experiments on men. Believe me, men are splendid animals. Without thought and other things, they're a perfect power machine. My dream is to create the ultimate genetic monster! A monster who doesn't think and obeys, the perfect machine!" Yusuke frowned and then Ichigaki gestured to his fighters.

"These three are my prototypes. It wasn't easy to obtain them. A simple machine isn't peculiar. Elsewhere, robots are forbidden in a tournament," Ichigaki said.

"That's got nothing to do with your story!" Yusuke snapped.

"I am very interested in you two," Ichigaki smiled. "I have a proposition for you. If I win, you give me your bodies. That will permit me to continue with my tinkering."

"If I win… you're dead!" Yusuke glared.

"Hahaha, of course!" he said, walking off the stage. 'Everything's going according to plan. Without Kurama and Hiei, they don't stand a chance!'

"I also have a request," the masked fighter spoke up. "I would like the fight to be done in one go."

'Chance of success… 99.95%!' Ichigaki calculated. "As you wish!" 'Haha, it's a victory! They're mine! With my minions together, they don't stand a chance!'

'The masked fighter is right… Without Yusuke's reigun, this is too close to call. We're going to have to play it close to the chest…' Kuwabara thought. "His story resembles my dream! It's not possible!"

"I know these three," the masked fighter spoke. "They are pupils of a great master. They have much respect for him."

"So?" Kuwabara demanded. "Have they been brainwashed? They don't have consciences anymore!"

"Let's start!" the announcer said.

* * *

"They're clumsy," Hiei spat as he and Kurama cut into another worthless demon.

"They think they can slow us down with these miserable things," Kurama rolled his eyes. "You're going to die."

"No thanks. You're opponent isn't me," Kurama and Hiei both raised an eyebrow as the lowlife demon finished speaking. The ground began to shake and the two demons looked up to see a Cyclops. "It's the armored monster of destruction. It's a masterpiece of Dr. Ichigaki's! It's invincible! Kill them!" The invention lunged at them. The Cyclops' arms stretched from its body and the two demons dodged the first onslaught. Hiei drew his sword and attacked the arms, flipping away from the demon when he realized his sword wasn't doing any damage.

"That armor's made from a special substance! A child's sword will do nothing to it! It has nothing to worry about!" the demon laughed.

"We'll see about that!" Hiei sneered. A sharp pain in his hand drew his attention. The burn still hadn't healed on its own. That split second of Hiei's diverted attention was enough for the Cyclops to trap Hiei against a tree with his claw.

"Hiei!" Kurama shouted.

"Hah! You're useless!" the demon shouted. "You're dead meat!"

"He's going to pay for that!" Hiei said through gritted teeth, summoning his black fire.

"Hiei, no!" Kurama shouted. He moved in front of the three eyed demon and the claw that was chasing him slammed into the one that was holding Hiei, freeing the three eyed demon. Hiei landed on the ground a fair distance away from Kurama. The claws freed themselves and began to attack Kurama.

"Kurama!"

* * *

Yukina didn't want to watch anymore. She didn't want to see her brother's friends- no matter how much he refused to admit it, they were his friends- get hurt unnecessarily. Even though her demon side was enjoying the carnage, her stomach was churning inside. She turned her head away slightly and then she caught sight of two cloaks. She frowned, narrowing her eyes as she tried to pick up the energy signature the two were hiding.

"_Yukina, I love you,"_

The memory swamped over her as she tried to tap into the energy signature and her eyes widened but before she could think any further, a Cyclops exploded through the arena.

"Hiei! Kurama!" Yusuke shouted happily.

"Sorry we're late," Kurama said, smiling a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he stood next to Hiei on the Cyclops. Yukina smiled in relief when she saw her brother and felt their telepathic connection open again. She didn't notice the man enshrouded in the cloak looking at her.


	15. Chapter 15

"Now let us retell the tale of why we're late," Kurama said, the smile disappearing. "Ichigaki promised to heal their master if they became his guinea pigs- they didn't know they were going to be turned into killing machines… and Ichigaki was the one who made their master sick in the first place!"

"What?" Kuwabara growled.

"Damn…" Yusuke said.

'Heh, fools! The angrier they are at me, the harder it will be for them to fight!' Ichigaki smirked.

"It was a trap so he could experiment on them," Kurama finished.

"Yes… and what are you going to do about it?" Ichigaki asked. "Your objective is to defeat your opponents, no? You should busy yourselves with your own affairs! Don't be distraught about being overpowered by my machines! They are guinea pigs! They enrich my work, that's all."

"Bastard!" Yusuke shouted.

* * *

Hiei caught sight of his sister and jumped over to her with ease. Yukina started at her brother's sudden appearance but recovered quickly.

"Brother, I was worried," she frowned as Kuwabara and Yusuke charged at Ichigaki. She kept shifting her attention from Hiei to the match, trying to keep track of what was going on. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands when Yusuke got kicked in the stomach by one of the opposing team members.

"Are you sure you want to watch this?" Hiei asked. Yukina nodded resolutely.

"Why are they protecting him?"

"I don't think they have a choice," Hiei frowned with a slight sneer. "Weaklings."

"Hiei," Yukina frowned.

"What?" Hiei asked.

"You'd want someone to rescue you if you were under that mind control," Yukina said.

"I'd never be so foolish," Hiei snorted.

"That thing on their backs is what's controlling them- but don't bother trying to remove it. They'll die if you do!" Ichigaki laughed. "They are programmed to protect me, to sacrifice their lives if need be! If you want my life, you'll have to take their lives first!"

"So it's as we thought…" Hiei said thoughtfully.

"What?" Kuwabara shouted. "I can't do that!"

"He's so honorable…" Yukina mused. Hiei grunted but didn't disagree.

"Kuwabara isn't dodging!" the announcer announced as Kuwabara stood his ground as the three fighters came at him.

"Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted.

"So he _wants _to die?" Hiei muttered.

"You have to wake up!" Kuwabara shouted. "You can't be corrupted by this bastard!" Hiei moved in front of his sister subtly just in time to have her avoid seeing the impact of all three fighters hitting Kuwabara. He pretended to be trying to get a better view of Kurama even though he could see the signals Kurama was sending him perfectly. When he glanced back at the fight, something caught his attention.

"Yukina… why are the cloaked ones watching us?" Hiei asked.

"Who?" Yukina asked but the two enshrouded in the cloaks disappeared.

"Never mind," Hiei said. "I'll be right back."

"You!" Yusuke shouted. "I'm going to-" Yusuke cut himself off when he saw the tears of blood falling down the fighter's faces.

"They didn't hit any vital points. They avoided killing him," the masked fighter said.

"How pathetic!" Ichigaki laughed. "What a stupid human!"

Yusuke glared at the demon and Hiei felt a swell of excitement run through him at the levels Yusuke's energy was rising to. He felt a feral smile tugging at the edge of his lips as Yusuke finally caught wind of the invisible weapons the fighters were using and used it against the one with the long hair, throwing him backwards.

Yusuke avoided the other weapon and instead of hitting Yusuke, it slammed into the floor.

'I see it!' Yusuke thought.

"Amazing! Urameshi has changed tactics!" the announcer said. "One would say he's only just begun to fight!"

"This isn't possible!" Ichigaki said. "My calculations were flawless! Did something go wrong…?" He looked at his calculator and his eyes widened when the numbers said "52.725%." 'Our chances have dropped?'

"Oh? Is something wrong?" Ichigaki turned around to find Kurama and Hiei glaring at him.

"My calculations were perfect!" he shouted.

"Oh, the technology is fine," Kurama said nonchalantly. "But the human spirit is unpredictable."

"Hey man, I'm really sorry about this!" Yusuke growled, avoiding the invisible sword, he put his fingers in the reigun position. The Masked Fighter grabbed his hand. Shocked, Yusuke turned towards her.

"Let me," the masked fighter said. "I'll do it myself."

"He wouldn't! He can't kill them, it's impossible!" Ichigaki hissed. "You're deluding yourselves! They can't do anything against my pets! Go, kill them!"

'I'll have to concentrate all my energy,' the masked fighter thought. Energy began surrounding her fingers. She barely heard Yusuke shouting for her to stop or the announcer shouting, "is this the end?" or Ichigaki shouting, "is this a bluff?" She only concentrated on finding the perfect moment to use her technique. She pressed her forefinger and middle finger against each of their hearts, watching with satisfaction as the mind control wore off of them.

"What did he do?" Ichigaki asked worriedly, looking very nervous. "Are they dead?"

"With just one attack?" Yusuke shouted. 'Incredible… without his help thought, I would've been dead.'

"…10!" the announcer finished. "This victory goes to Team Urameshi! They hereby qualify for the next stage!"

"This victory sucks!" Yusuke snapped. "I don't want to win like this! You're going to pay!" he turned to Ichigaki.

"H-hey! If you kill me, their master will die! I'm the only one who knows the antidote to save him!" Ichigaki said.

"I'd revise that statement…" Kurama said, pointing over to where the three fighters' master was standing, looking a little worse for the wear but alive and well. "What? That's not possible!"

"Your assistant told us the whole story," Hiei spat. "Kurama's an expert at poisons."

"It was rather easy," Kurama agreed.

"Ready to die?" Yusuke asked.

"I'm not going to let myself be done in! I'm going to teach you the meaning of terror!" Ichigaki shouted, turning into a larger, more threatening form of his demon self. "So what do you think of my work? Are you afraid? Die!" Yusuke barely batted an eye as he dodged the demon leaping at him foolishly and punched Ichigaki into the stands.

"Hah! Serves him right! He'll repent in Hell," Yusuke sneered.

"The professor's been smashed into the stands!" the announcer said.

"But why am I still living and my pupils are dead?" the master asked, shaking. "I can't forgive myself for this!"

"You don't have anything to regret," the masked fighter spoke up.

"They're alive! En! Ryo! Kai!" the master said. "You're alive!"

"What? I thought they were dead!" Yusuke said. Hiei looked up at the stands where Yukina was and he smiled softly. She was practically beaming as she struggled not to cry tears of joy. Hiei felt flustered when he saw his sister wiping his eyes.

"Kurama!" he hissed. "Go say something!"

"What do you mean, Hiei?" Kurama asked.

"Yukina, go say something to her!" Hiei demanded. Kurama looked to where Yukina was and he chuckled.

"She's just happy, Hiei,"

"She's _crying_!"

"She's just happy they're alright," Kurama said. He turned to look to where one of the fighters was offering to replace Kuwabara, to see if he was alright. "This crowd gets really riled up at times." Hiei snorted.

"All they care about is blood and gore- that's not their own," Hiei sneered.

"Would everyone please calm down!" the announcer said. "We're about to start the second fight!"

"What?" Yusuke demanded. "We don't even get a break? We want an explanation!"

"Hey, I'm just the announcer!" she squeaked.

"This sucks!" Yusuke cursed. Team Urameshi stood, listening to the growing cries for bloodlust.

"And here are the Mashotsukai!" the announcer said. "Who will represent their teams?"

"Kuwabara's out. We'll have to deal with four," Yusuke said through gritted teeth.

'Kuwabara's not the only one,' Kurama thought with a frown, glancing at Hiei and the masked fighter.

"Who wants to go first?" one of the Mashotsukai spoke up. A wind kicked up and Jin's cloak flew off.

"I'll go," he smiled, walking up to the stage.

"So it is him…" Kurama said.

"You know him?" Yusuke asked.

"Well, he's sort of infamous," Kurama said. "Mashotsukai is just a façade, they're actually shinobi. A group of hired guns, they lie in the shadows."

"Choose your rules!" the announcer said.

"One on one!" Jin grinned. "Real man's fight!"

"Fine with me," Yusuke said.

"The rules have been decided! We're having a one on one fight!"

"You got a nice breeze," Jin said, walking away from Yusuke, leaving the spirit detective to stare at him, confused. Touya was watching Hiei. He was sure Hiei knew there were eyes on him, but that was the whole crowd. He probably just brushed Touya's eyes on him off as someone in the crowd.

'I guess he's more intuitive than I thought,' Touya thought as Hiei glanced over the shinobi. He eyes lingered on Touya's form for a moment, and unbeknownst to Hiei, Touya stared back.


	16. Chapter 16

"The rules have been decided! It's one on one!"

"Before we start, we're going to proceed with a quick mandatory medical examination. We must ask that you remain patient while we conduct this examination. Thank you," the speakers said.

"A medical examination?" Yusuke asked, looking confused. A demon in a nurse's outfit walked out, looking at Team Urameshi, studying them carefully.

"You… and you," she said, pointing at Hiei and the Masked Fighter. "Come with me please."

"I don't need any check up," Hiei sneered.

"That's not for you to decide," the demon smiled.

"Hurry up!" the crowd shouted.

"He's going to die anyways!"

"Get on with it!"

"Are you injured at all?" the nurse demon asked. "Your stomach doesn't hurt?"

"No. What kind of questions are these? Can I go now?" Hiei asked, annoyed. He'd rather have Yukina attempt to heal him than have this strange demon go anywhere near him.

"You seem to be very stressed. I think you need to relax," she said.

"Feh! I don't need this," Hiei spat, getting off the table. He took another step and before it could touch the ground, he pulled it back when he felt energy on it. He stepped back to find a force field.

"What- what is that?" Yusuke demanded.

"That's a force field," Kurama frowned.

"I'm Ruka," the nurse demon smiled. "Pleased to meet you. This force field of mine will keep you contained here until I deem you fit for battle."

"That force field is deadly," Kurama said. "The slightest movement can kill them."

"After examination, Hiei and the masked fighter are deemed unable to fight!" the speaker system announced. "They will submit to proper medical attention!"

"What? That's fixed!" Yusuke shouted, yelling at the announcer.

"I'm just the announcer! I don't know anything about this!" Koto squeaked.

'It's not necessarily a bad thing…' Kurama thought. 'Hiei and the masked fighter _are_ unable to fight- this could work in our favor…'

* * *

"Two against five… Jin, you have it easy," one of the demons in cloaks said. Touya glared at Risho from under the cloak but he didn't notice.

"Nah, I don't think so," Jin said and Touya's eyebrows shot up as he tried to quiet himself from making a noise that would show approval to Jin's actions but he couldn't stop himself from smirking.

"What?"

"Changed mah mind. I'll fight later," Jin said.

"You can't do that! Jin!" Risho said. "You're going!" He reached out to grab Jin's shoulder. Touya sucked in a breath.

"You know better'n that," Jin glared at Risho, grabbing his hand and applying pressure to it. Risho withdrew his hand instantly. Touya almost rolled his eyes at the immediate one eighty Jin pulled in personality, going from cruel to not caring as he flew over to the side of the arena and settled down to sleep.

'He must be waiting to fight Yusuke,' Touya smiled.

"Fine, I'll go," Gama said. Touya saw Kurama's eyes sharpen in recognition and he smiled, interested in the fight.

"Kurama…" Yusuke said, glancing at the fighter.

"I'd like to tell you I could fight them all on my own… but I don't think it will be that simple," Kurama said. "I'm going to shake them as much as possible… then the rest is up to you." He walked up into the arena without giving Yusuke a chance to say anything more.

* * *

Yukina was trying her best to rush down the stands to get to her brother. It was hard, with the demons leering at her and then ones who thought she was trying to steal a better seat. But she didn't care, making her way through the demons, even going as far as to freeze a demon here and there who didn't want to let her through.

"Gama isn't letting up on Kurama!" Koto shouted. "Kurama can barely get an attack in!" Hiei looked over to where his sister was coming down with a raised eyebrow.

"Yusuke," Hiei said. Yusuke turned, confused as to why Hiei was drawing his attention from the fight. He followed Hiei's gaze to Yukina and he nodded in understanding, making his way over to the demon, glaring at a few who tried to object. Hiei never took his eyes off his sister, filing the faces of the demons who were annoyances to his sister for later.

"Yukina?" Hiei asked but Yukina's attention was on the healer.

"Let me heal them," Yukina said determinedly. Hiei looked at his captor, daring her to object to his sister.

"I'm sorry, I can't allow that," Ruka said. "Why don't you go back to your seat and enjoy the fighting, little girl?" Hiei and Yusuke both bristled, neither hearing Touya's explanation of how Gama's magic affected Kurama. Yukina's eyes froze over.

"Why don't you let me heal my brother?" Yukina asked, staring the woman down. Hiei and Yusuke stood wearily, watching the stare down. When the crowd erupted into a cheer, only then did they turn around.

"Kurama!" Hiei and Yusuke shouted as they saw Gama lunging at him but at the last second, Kurama's rose whip moved, tangled in his hair, cutting Gama to shreds.

"What? With his hair?" Gama choked, stepping away from Kurama. "I underestimated your abilities…"

"This fight is over. Stop talking. Withdraw and get medical attention," Kurama said.

"It's not the end. I'm not finished just yet," Gama smirked.

"I'm still faster than you. Don't waste your breath," Kurama said. Touya's heart skipped a beat as Gama charged at Kurama. So he really did mean to...

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Touya,"_

"_Gama?" Touya looked up._

"_I'm going to die here," Gama said._

"_What?" Touya demanded. "Gama, we'll win! We'll get the light-"_

"_No, Touya. You're a fool if you think we can beat Team Toguro," Gama chuckled. "No, I want to die here, on this island. Where the light is. And I want you to fight after me."_

"_What? Why?" Touya asked._

"_You know my abilities remain active for ten minutes. That's time I want to give to you. I'll be damned if I give it to Bakken or Risho and Jin ain't gonna need it," Gama said. "Do you accept?"_

"_I accept," Touya said quietly after a pause._

_"Be strong Touya. Your ice maiden will need you," Gama said, getting up to leave. Touya turned around instantly, about to question Gama how he knew about Yukina but he was already out of earshot._

* * *

"Stop! Do you really want to die?" Kurama demanded, avoiding Gama's attacks.

"We'll start the countdown!" Koto announced when Gama was on the ground, unable to get up anymore. Touya swallowed as Gama started laughing.

"You're done for," Gama said.

"How so?" Kurama asked.

"You paid attention to my paintbrush but you forgot about my blood!" Gama grinned. "The secret of my magic is in it. I took a risk but it was calculated. You're abilities are sealed!" Touya closed his eyes, steeling himself to be a warrior in the ten minutes Gama had left him.


End file.
